Volterra's Tower
by Amata le Fay
Summary: The tale of the lives of the Volturi females. Will the Volturi finally meet their end? And why? DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter Uno: Introductions

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Nobody ever thinks twice about the Volturi wives, but the Volturi wives are essential to Volturi life. Here is their story.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight. Not even an "Edward Cullen" T-shirt. I'm proud of that.**

**Chapter Uno**

Athenodora sighed and flipped her long silvery-blond hair dramatically. Sulpicia wasn't sure what to make of this sigh. It was always that way with her sighs--were they happy and content or ever-so-slightly disatisfied? Her facial expression didn't help, either-- it could be almost as emotionless as Marcus sometimes.

"Athena?" Sulpicia inquired in a subtly concerned tone of voice.

"Nothing wrong," Caius's wife replied, "Just bored out of my wits."

This time it was Sulpicia's turn to sigh, and you could clearly tell it was tinted with exasperation. Athenodora was always bored. Even when she wasn't. She had to admit, it was kind of boring being in a tower all day, but--

"A maze of empty shiny things," Athenodora muttered, interrupting her younger cousin's thoughts. "That's what this tower is."

They were in the Commonroom of the Tower (officially called "Girl territory" by the Volturi males).

"Of course not, Athena. That golden box over there, it's shiny enough, but it's filled with all of your chess pieces. Definitely not empty. But you're right, everything's too shiny. I should tell Aro to lay off all of the gemstones for a while. Some new clothes--"

"You're too literal," Athena said. "Think, Sulpicia. What do we _do_ in here?"

"Well you read a lot, and we sometimes play chess, and we both play dress-up, and I have my jewelry-making that I do sometimes, and--"

"Again, I repeat! You're too literal!" Athena snapped. Sulpicia supressed a giggle, for some unknown reason.

Athenodora and Caius were a perfect couple, because they matched each other wit for wit, and had a similar temper. But Athena was less negative-minded, and slightly more easily bored. Sulpicia and Aro weren't personality matches like Athena and Caius, rather, they complemented each other. Aro was rather dramatic and power-hungry, while Sulpicia was practical and content with what she had (which annoyed Athena quite a bit when she made deep remarks about the pointlessness of "empty shiny things" existence), and they got along just fine. (Though Athena had a sneaking suspicion that Aro thought of Sulpicia as a collector's jewel, even though she had no abilities that would interest the ambitious Volturi leader. But she knew better than to voice this opinion to Sulpicia.) Aro and Caius came to visit their wives frequently, and sometimes Caius tagged along, putting a dampener on everyone's mood. Marcus was a bit touchy on the subject of wives, so the other two knew better than to mention Didyme.

"I don't know, Athena. What's the answer?" Sulpicia said.

Athena rolled her eyes. "Rhetorical question."

"Oh."

They sat around in silence for an hour or so, Athena occasionally rolling her eyes and Sulpicia occasionally getting up and fixing something in the room that was ajar. They heard a knock at the door, and smiles lit up both of their faces. Sulpicia got up from the luxurious leather couch and danced towards the door.

"Hello, Aro."

Aro grinned. Highly unusual. It made Sulpicia what suprisingly pleasing event had taken place. "Hello, Sapphire." (Aro's nickname for his wife. Highly supporting Athena's theory.)

Caius walked up to the doorway. "Excuse me, you're blocking me from seeing my wife," he pointed out to Aro.

"Caius, dear." Athenodora got up from her couch and drifted gracefully towards her husband.

"Athenodora, you look lovely." Caius answered.

"Good day at work?" Sulpicia asked.

"Oh yes!" Aro was on the verge of dancing himself.

Caius grinned (uncharacteristically). "We got to obliterate that annoying Greek coven."

_Oh. Predictable, _thought Sulpicia.

"And guess what?" Aro sang. "Guessguessguess!"

"Some powerful and talented vampire with particularly repentant thoughts was in that coven and you incorporated them into the Guard," Athenodora said dryly.

Aro jumped up and clapped his hands. "Yesyesyes! Guessguessguess the superpower!"

"Future sight?" Sulpicia guessed immediately.

"No..."

"Mind reading?" asked Athenodora.

"Nonono!"

"Illusions?"

Aro shook his head.

"Mental shield?"

"Nope."

"Telekinesis?"

"No."

"Fairy dust?" Athena joked.

"Fairy dust?" Sulpicia raised an eyebrow.

"Dingdingding! We have a winner!" Aro sang.

"_Seriously? Fairy dust?_"

"No, of course not. But you're close!"

They both thought about it. Nothing.

"Okay, Aro, what is it?"

Aro's mouth twisted into a grin that was slightly...malicious?

"She can make people think things. Like, right now she could make me think I'm levitating off the ground, and the conviction would be so real I'd have to believe it. She made Jane think she was a mermaid for ten whole minutes before Jane gave her the death glare. Her name is Sybilla."

The wives nodded in approval. Aro grabbed Sulpicia's hands and whirled her around the room in glee (reading all of her thoughts as they danced.) Caius scowled at him, but then turned back to Athenodora and smiled. "What did _you_ do today, sweet?"

"You know, same old, same old," Athena replied, wondering what "same old" readlly was. "I made a deep profound metaphor, and Sulpicia took it literally."

Caius made the closest sound Caius could make to a laugh. He was all aware of his wife's opinions on tower life. "Well, obliterating a coven--"

"--was not as fun without me around?"

"No, it was fun as ever," Caius cracked a slight smile. "Besides, you never come on our coven-obliterating missions. I wouldn't know how much more fun it is if you were there."

"Why don't we get to come on coven-obliterating missions, anyway?" Athenodora asked.

"For you own safety. The _werewolves _might attack."

"Werewolves got nothing on me, Caius." To demonstrate, Athenodora ripped the nearest pillow to dust particles (it was Sulpicia's ugly chartreuse one that she had been meaning to get rid of anyway.)

Caius close-to-laughed. "Athena, my dear, that pillow isn't a canine monster twice your size that will fight back with its ferocious teeth."

"It was a disgrace to the room's color scheme," was all Athena said.

Caius weaved his fingers through Athenodora's silvery hair. He liked being around Athena, she brought out the happier side of him. Athena liked Caius, too. She couldn't understand why anyone would call him cruel. He was just a big ball of witty, sometimes angry, sometimes over protective fluff.

A "Sulpicia dear, if you wanted less shiny things then I would have gladly agreed" came from Aro in the other room. Athenodora rolled her eyes.

The Volturi men were so predictable.

"I will get you anything you desire, my darling Sapphire," Aro murmured. He leaned in and kissed Sulpicia. It was a long romantic kiss. Caius and Athenodora applauded.

Being around his wife made Caius feel like being random that way.

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**Everyone knows fanfiction writers live for the reviews.**


	2. Chapter Due: Redecorating and Hunting

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight. Certainly not an "Edward Cullen" bookmark. For that I am relieved.**

**Chapter Due**

Sulpicia smiled. This was going to be fun.

It was early morning of the next day, and, mostly to help ease Athenodora's boredom, they had decided to redecorate the "Girl territory" Commonroom . They had done a purple color scheme last time (now one begins to understand why Athenodora despised that chartreuse pillow), and they had decided on a red, white, and black color scheme this time. For vampires.

Aro and Caius had willingly supplied all of the needed furniture for the job. The couches were black, the pillows were red. All tables and drawers and cupboards were white. The walls were to be black. All of the furniture was piled up by the door. The two of them brought them into the center.

"So, how do you want them to be arranged?" Sulpicia asked.

"Could we put my couch by the window?" Athenodora asked. "And then put your couch perpendicular to mine, and then the little white glass table in the square space?"

"Sure," Sulpicia agreed. Doing things like this with Athenodora was _very_ fun, mainly because Athenodora had so many ideas, and good ones.

"The makeup-and-jewelry beareau drawer can go over there," Athenodora pointed to the space next to Sulpicia's bedroom door. "And next to my door will be the larger white glass table. There, it's perfect."

Sulpicia nodded. Athenodora's plans were always perfect, especially when it came to the ultimate pastime of redecorating. The walls were already painted black, so all they had to do was move the furniture, which was a snap. They _were_ vampires, after all.

There. Sulpicia surveyed the room. Of course, Athena had designed it perfectly. It looked very vampiric. Sulpicia liked it, but then again, it was a not-so-subtle reminder of what she was. Sulpicia would try to forget that she was a monster, inhuman and terrible, and at times it worked. But there were always reminders: the room, for one, and the inhuman abilities, even if it was just enhanced speed and strength, ability to stay still, insomnia, and the big one: the red eyes. All of Sulpicia's outfits complemented the eyes, yet they always stood out. Red. Bright red, burgundy, black. Her thoughts turned to that time a hundred or so years ago, when Athenodora and her had been allowed to witness a coven-obliterating mission. The Olympic Coven, if she remembered correctly. Ah yes, Aro's old friend Carlisle was the leader. They fed on the blood of animals, their eyes were golden. The odd, yellow-eyed vampires. The Cullens. They ended up not being obliterated, it had all been a misunderstanding. Good. She liked those yellow-eyed vampires. Of course, Aro was burning with the desire to get that one female, the one that could see the future, into the guard, as well as the mind-reader and his mate, the mental shield. He talked about them constantly. And Caius wanted revenge on them. Sulpicia wondered if Athena and her would be allowed to go on the next coven-obliterating mission for the Cullens.

Athenodora drifted into her room and sat on her bed (which was there purely for decoration), starin into space. The redecorated room looked nice. She twisted her hair into curled, silvery-blond ringlets and let them fall down to mid-back. She put on a flowing red, orange, and golden dress that looked like sunset and complemented every one of her features. Her favorite dress. she drifted back into the Commonroom and sat down on the couch. There were times like this where she just felt like drifting...

There came a knock at the door.

Athenodora smiled. She walked over to the door and opened it. Aro and Caius stood waiting.

"It's time," Aro said. Sulpicia joined him, and together the four of them walked down the corridor. As they passed, members of the Guard bowed respectfully (to Aro, mostly). Marcus joined them. Soon they were chatting idly, the females about the redecoration this morning, the males about how Sybilla, the new Guard member, was really doing well. Of course that's the subject they would talk about: the Guard. Volturi men were so predictable. Caius complimented Athenodora on her mini-makeover, Aro read some of Sulpicia's thoughts while holding her hand, Marcus sulked. Finally they arrived at the small room at the end of the hall. Sulpicia hated this, she really hated this, but it was nescessary for vampire to drink blood. Sulpicia had wondered why they couldn't just drink animal blood like that Cullen coven, and Aro had never answered her. She sighed. Athenadora shared a look with Caius. A look of pleasure. Sulpicia knew Athena didn't like the idea of drinking human blood, so the pleasure must be that Athena got to spend time with Caius. Aro had once said, "There is a total transformation in Caius when he's with Athenodora. If Athenodora knew what some others thought of him, she would deny it." Sulpicia was happy for her older cousin. And Aro was good to her. They loved each other. Except...she hated to admit it, but Aro loved power-- She stopped herself. Aro was still holding onto her hand. He gave her a questioning look, and she shrugged. Marcus sighed, staring into oblivion. Aro opened the door.

Sulpicia closed her eyes, tried not to think of them as people, just food, and lunged in to drink her fill. Aro was right alongside her, assuring her that this was nessecary. She could sense Athenodora and Caius nearby, and Marcus was probably behind her. She tried not to think of the screams, but they inevitably filled her ears.

She kept on drinking.

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**Everyone knows fanfiction writers live for their reviews.**

**Excuse a major typo in the last chapter. I put Caius once instead of Marcus. So it should be "and sometimes MARCUS tagged along, putting a dampener on everyone's mood. Marcus was a bit touchy on the subject of wives, so the other two knew better than to mention Didyme."**


	3. Chapter Tre: Aro and Sulpicia

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight. Most definitely not a mini replica of Edward Cullen's Volvo.**

**Author's Note: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. It's very encouraging to a young fanfiction writer.**

**Chapter Tre**

Aro and Sulpicia were sitting on the purely-for-decoration bed in Sulpicia's room. Aro was grinning. He was now convinced the the Volturi were virtually invincible. He voiced this opinion to his wife countless times, who was now beginning to roll her eyes like Athenodora. Aro was growing more and more distant to her as the Guard grew. She missed the days when it was just Aro and SUlpicia, Caius and Athenodora, and Marcus and...Didyme. Didyme had been the most wonderful friend to her, and now she was dead. By Aro's hand, Sulpicia suspected, since the proud vampire seemed to wince at every mention of his sister. And Aro's attention had been completely and totally to her, before the Guard. The Guard had made Aro more power-hungry. Sulpicia sighed. Maybe Athenodora was right, that he thought of her as nothing more than a jewel...

Aro caught notice of this sigh, and tried to grasp her hand for answers. Sulpicia pulled it back. "What's wrong?" Aro asked.

"Those were sort of private thoughts," Sulpicia answered.

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a bit. Aro seemed totally comfortable, but Sulpicia fidgeted. Vampires weren't even supposed to fidget! _Thanks for the not-so-subtle reminder, _Sulpicia thought. She really hated vampire life, but she had to be there for Aro. He was her loving husband, she was wrong to think such thoughts of him. (Sulpicia had grown up in that era when wives were supposed to keep quiet, and was shocked at the newfound freedom Aro had given her when they first got married. And now she was being ungrateful.)

"Tell me what you're thinking, Sulpicia," Aro said. "Since i can't read you past your facial expression as of yet. You looked...troubled."

"Oh, just thinking about...the humans we ate for lunch today," Sulpicia replied. It wasn't totally a lie, either.

"Don't let it worry you, my Sapphire," Aro reassured her. "It's only natural. We can't help what we are."

"But what about that friend of yours?" Sulpicia said suddenly. "That Carlisle Cullen? With his golden-eyed coven--family. Why can't we be like that? Animal blood?"

Aro shook his head. "Sulpicia, we are the leaders of the vampire world. We can't become vegetarian, that would be denying our nature. It would not be right for the example of good vampires everywhere." That sounded like a plausible explanation.

"Aro, love, I'm weary of this talk. What happened with the Guard today?" That was sure to get him going.

"Sulpicia, they're doing so well! Sybilla's really getting used to Guard life quickly. She and Felix..." Sulpicia tuned him out. He wasn't one to noticed when she tuned out, not while he was speaking about the Guard. Everything he talked about boiled down to one thing: the Guard. Jane and Alec. Felix and Demetri. Chelsea, Afton. Renata. Eleazar--wait, no, Eleazar had left. _I wonder how he managed to do that, _Sulpicia thought. _Sometimes I wish I could leave this tower, too..._

Her mind alerted her to Aro's hand elusively sliding over towards hers. She pulled away. Aro could not hear any of her thoughts, especially not that last one. Could anything be private to Aro?

Aro wondered about the unusual behavior of his wife. Why wouldn't she let him touch her? What was going on? Why was Sulpicia being so...reclusive?

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**Sorry it's a little short. Short, but important.**


	4. Chapter Quattro: Athenodora's Advice

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Thanks for all of the reviews, guys! As I said earlier, very encouraging.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Quattro**

Athenodora and Sulpicia were sitting in the Comonroom the next day, each wrapped up in her own thoughts. Sulpicia, naturally, was nervous about Aro. He couldn't read her thoughts, he just _couldn't_! But he would get to them in time, not unless she avoided him for the rest of existence. Which would not be good. Either way, she was in deep trouble. She had to figure out something. _Maybe I should ask for help..._

"Athenodora?" Sulpicia asked.

Athenodora looked up, drifting out of her reciting of 1,250 digits of pi in her mind (she had decided to memorize pi partly out of boredom, partly out of a plot to annoy Aro). "Yes, Sulpicia?"

"...I need advice."

Athenodora sat up. She rather liked giving advice. "I'm listening."

Sulpicia took a deep breath. "I have the feeling...I mean, all Aro ever talks about is power, and his precious Guard! I'm beginning to think he loves power more than he loves me! I'm feeling too distant from him nowadays. I actually thought about leaving! And I don't want him to hear these thoughts, so I have to avoid him! But I don't want to! I want to..." Sulpicia sighed. "Well, I'm not really sure of anything anymore. And on top of all of that, I hate drinking human blood."

Athenodora thought for a moment. "Sulpicia, I think you should tell Aro how you feel."

"No! I can't let him know..."

"You have to. He'll understand you. He loves you--"

"Well, I'm not so sure of that anymore!"

Athenodora put her hands on her younger cousin's shoudlers. "Listen to me, Sulpicia. He _will _understand. I know Aro, almost as well as you do. He loves power, true, but he needs someone there to catch him when he falls. You're that someone, and he trusts you because of it. He loves you."

"You don't understand, Athenodora. Aro isn't the same as Caius. He doesn't totally change into a mushy romantic whenever I'm around, like Caius is with you. Aro will always be power-hungry, and he will always--"

"Stop it, Sulpicia! Aro loves you, and you know it just as well as I do."

"But...you wouldn't understand. Caius is devoted to you. At least--" Sulpicia's facial expression turned into a malicious grin. "--the Caius you know."

Silence for a few seonds. "What do you mean, 'the Caius I know'?"

"Oh come on, Athena. Were you not present at the accusation of an Immortal Child, Volturi vs. Cullens and Allies? Was Caius not totally set on destroying_ someone _at that meeting? When he found he couldn't kill the Cullens, he killed Irina, and then he wanted to destroy the child, Renesmee, as well? Caius is like that all of the time, Aro says. Caius is a wicked killing machine. Except when he's with you." Sulpicia's face turned sad again. "But Aro doesn't let go of all other things when he's with me. His first thought will always be about the Guard!" Sulpicia stormed off into her room (the oppurtunity to storm off in Athenodora's face didn't come often, and Sulpicia figured she might as well take it when she could.)

Usually, Athenodora would have been wondering why Sulpicia acted this way. Or rolling her eyes and saying how it's always like this every hundred years or so, Sulpicia gets the blues. Or figuring out a way to help her. But now, Caius was the first thought on her mind. What Sulpicia had said had hurt._ "Caius is a wicked killing machine. Except when he's with you."_ It seemed like Caius had been...hiding a bit of himself from her. For all these years, she had denied it. Seen the evidence and denied it. Because _her_ Caius couldn't possibly be like that.

Athena brushed these thoughts aside for the moment (but they would come back with terrible retribution) and made helping Sulpicia her first priority. If Sulpicia wouldn't let Aro know how she felt, there was only one thing to do. It would make Sulpicia angry at her for months, possibly years, but it needed to be done. She abruptly got up from the couch and walked out of the Commonroom, down the corridor, to a door near the end of the hall. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Her mind idly observed that the wood was mahongany.

Aro's voice called, "Come in!"

Athenodora opened the door. "Aro, there's something you need to know." (Deep breath.) She extended her hand for Aro to touch.

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	5. Chapter Cinque: Aro's Desicion

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Author's Note: I'm sorry I took a little longer than usual on this one. I was having some Writer's Block. And then document problems.**

**Chapter Cinque**

Aro took Athenodora's hand, wondering what could possibly be so hard to tell that even bold Athenodora was hesitant. He raked throught the thoughts, silently groaning when she got to pi. He had read through 1,247 digits when suddenly the thoughts got interesting.

_"Athenodora?" Sulpicia asked._

_What is it now? She seems concerned. "Yes, Sulpicia?"_

_"...I need advice."_

_Well, I'm here to help. Don't worry. "I'm listening."_

_Sulpicia took a deep breath. "I have the feeling...I mean, all Aro ever talks about is power, and his precious Guard! I'm beginning to think he loves power more than he loves me! I'm feeling too distant from him nowadays. I actually thought about leaving! And I don't want him to hear these thoughts, so I have to avoid him! But I don't want to! I want to..." Sulpicia sighed. "Well, I'm not really sure of anything anymore. And on top of all of that, I hate drinking human blood."_

_But Aro loves her. Aro should know how she feels, so he can set things right. Aro will understand. "Sulpicia, I think you should tell Aro how you feel."_

_"No! I can't let him know..." Sulpicia looks panicked. What's so hard about this, I wonder..._

_"You have to. He'll understand you. He loves you--" _

_"Well, I'm not so sure of that anymore!" But I know he does._

_"Listen to me, Sulpicia. He will understand. I know Aro, almost as well as you do. He loves power, true, but he needs someone there to catch him when he falls. You're that someone, and he trusts you because of it. He loves you." Every word of that is true, Sulpicia! Just listen to me!_

_"You don't understand, Athenodora. Aro isn't the same as Caius. He doesn't totally change into a mushy romantic whenever I'm around, like Caius is with you. Aro will always be power-hungry, and he will always--"_

_"Stop it, Sulpicia! Aro loves you, and you know it just as well as I do." Why is she acting like this? She's refusing to accept what's good for her._

_"But...you wouldn't understand. Caius is devoted to you. At least--" Sulpicia's facial expression turns into a malicious grin. Oh no. "--the Caius you know."_

_What is she saying? "What do you mean, 'the Caius I know'?"_

_"Oh come on, Athena. Were you not present at the accusation of an Immortal Child, Volturi vs. Cullens and Allies? Was Caius not totally set on destroying someone at that meeting?" Well... "When he found he couldn't kill the Cullens, he killed Irina, and then he wanted to destroy the child, Renesmee, as well? Caius is like that all of the time, Aro says. Caius is a wicked killing machine. Except when he's with you." Sulpicia's face turns sad again. "But Aro doesn't let go of all other things when he's with me. His first thought will always be about the Guard!" She's storming off. She's angry. She's not listening to your ideas._

_Caius. The wicked killing machine. I should have known by now. But I refused to accept the truth, I needed to see the best in him. Maybe Sulpicia is right--no. I need to think about Sulpicia and Aro first. I'll deal with Caius later. Aro needs to know. And if Sulpicia won't tell Aro...I'll have to. It will make Sulpicia angry at me for months, years even. But Aro needs to know, and to let Sulpicia know he loves her. _

_Get up from the couch, walk towards the door, walk down the hallway. Aro, I know you're going to be reading this. I'm certain now. Aro, you love Sulpicia more than anything, right? Every word I said to Sulpicia is true. I want you to think about it too._

"Come in?"

Walk in. Come on, this isn't so hard. "Aro, there's something you need to know." This isn't so hard.

Extend your hand. Do it, Athena.

Slowly he caught up to Athenodora's thoughts in real time. He let out his breath, not realizing that he had been holding it.

"Thank you, Athenodora," he murmured, lost in his own thoughts.

How could Sulpicia ever think something like that? Why... He let his thoughts trail off, not wanting to complete any thoughts right now. He wanted to be mindless. He didn't want to face the harsh reality of this, the fact that his love really was more shown of power than the love of his life. _What was going wrong? _he found himself thinking about it. _I love my Sapphire--wait, no, don't call her that. The nickname reinforces the doubts, the thoughts that I think of her as a jewel, and empty shiny thing--ah, now what Athena had thought days ago made sense. A maze of empty shiny things. Her subconscious was referring to what she thought of as herself and Sulpicia, and our opinion of them? Why are my thoughts not making any sense anymore?_ He slumped down, putting his head in his hands.

He could always call Chelsea, to make their bonds tighter. But no, that would seem fake. He needed to make it up to Sulpicia, really make it up...a private hunting trip? Alas, no, that would make Sulpicia more uncomfortable. She didn't like human blood.

Didn't like human blood...

Then it hit him. It would be oh-so-difficult, but it would show that he was willing to put her own wants above his own. But at what cost...

Before he could think this through, he immediately sat up straighter, grabbed a pencil and a pad of paper. The little future-seeing girl, she would see it coming. She would see that this was not a trap to incorporate them into the Guard, or to kill young Renesmee.

Dear Carlisle Cullen, he wrote.

This is not a trap, a trick of any kind. Ask Alice, ask Edward if he decides to come. I need you here in Volterra. I want you to take Sulpicia and myself on a vegetarian hunting trip. This is not a matter of the Guard, but a matter of the heart.

Sincerely,

Aro of Volterra


	6. Chapter Sei: The Cullens to the Rescue

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Chapter Sei**

The Cullens were enjoying the stormy weather from the inside of the cafeteria of Northwest Pacific High School when Alice got the vision. It was ecceedingly surprising and she gasped, rather loudly, out of the shock of it all.

"I can't believe it!" said Edward, grinning.

"What is it, Alice?" Jasper asked.

"Aro...needs our help." Alice was slightly more than confused. "He sent us a letter...he wants to go vegetarian."

"_What?_" Bella asked, erupting with laughter.

"I don't think it's supposed to be comical," Alice said. "He's serious. He wants us to come and take him and Sulpicia hunting. Vegetarian style."

"But why?" Rosalie asked. "I mean, why the sudden change of heart? Unless it's a trap--"

"It's not," Alice insisted. "He's dead serious."

"How do you know for sure? I mean there _are_ loopholes in your visions. What if it's a plot to kill Renesmeee?" Bella said, panicking, as she always did, about her daughter. "Since Renesmee's involved, you won't be able to--"

"It's not a plot to kill Renesmee. Or else I wouldn't be able to see anything." Alice had learned to work with the certain loopholes in her visions, to know if anything could possibly be a plot to harm Renesmee or the wolves.

"Well, that's good," Nessie remarked. "Alice, can I have your apple? Since you don't eat it..."

Alice handed Nessie her apple and continued talking. "I'm trying to read more of what he's writing...not a matter of the Guard, but a matter of the heart? What does that mean?"

Edward shrugged. "Maybe Sulpicia has something to do with it."

"Sulpicia...Aro's wife?" Bella asked. "The one with no personality?"

"She has personality, she just doesn't show it," Edward said.

Nessie stretched out her hand and touched her father's face. Showing him an old memory, a figure off into the distance, a woman in a gray cloak...

"Yes, that's Sulpicia, Aro's wife," Edward murmured. Renesmee touched Edward again, different shots of the scene. Edward hadn't really focused much on the wives' thoughts, way back when the Volturi had come to obliterate their coven. Aro's were much more important...for the time's being. From looking at Renesmee's pictures to remembering what little of Sulpicia's thoughts he had read, he deduced something very important.

"It's Sulpicia. Sulpicia wants to be a vegetarian, and Aro...Aro must have had a fight with her or something, and wants to make up."

"By begging us to take them vegetarian hunting!" Emmett laughed. "Oh, this is good. So good. All kinds of blackmail opportunities..."

Alice smiled. "This is going to be fun."

"Definitely," Edward agreed.

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Marcus stared at his friends and their wives, bored on the outside, confused on the inside. They weren't acting like their normal happy romantic selves, which was okay, as it didn't bring up old memories of Didyme and make _him_ even more apathetic and depressed. But looking at their relationships was just confusing.

Aro and Sulpicia's bond was fading, but Aro seemed to want to try to make it tighter. Sulpicia and Athenodora's bond was repelling, they were angry with each other, they weren't talking to each other. Athenodora's bond of friendship with Aro had grown slightly closer, but however, Athenodora was repelling Caius, and Caius wasn't sure why.

Marcus couldn't think of another word to describe it. It was simply confusing.

_There must have been a big argument while I wasn't here, _he reasoned. He tried to make sense of the all of a sudden fraying relationships, but all he could think of was how to destroy them. Ugh. He had been spending way too much time with Aro.

He decided to just leave it to them to figure it out. He shrugged indifferently and walked out of the Wives' Commonroom.

He walked around the halls of the Volturi tower many times over, trying to just leave it alone. But he couldn't, he couldn't stop thinking of Didyme, how she would have handled the situation...

His eyes widened at the sight of the four figures walking down the corridor. He let loose a deep snarl and crouched into a defense position.

"Don't worry, Marcus, we're not here to attack. Aro sent for us."

_What?_ he thought.

"The relationships are tangled, and we're here to help," Edward said with a smile.

_Aro asked _Carlisle, Edward, Bella, and Alice Cullen _for help? What is going on in his crazy little mind? All of these shifting relationships are making me dizzy!_

And for the first time in a long time, Marcus let himself gasp and let a geniune look of shock cross his face.


	7. Chapter Sette: Telling Sulpicia

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Author's Note: I may be updating less frequently now that school has started. But I'd just like to say thankyou to ErisRocks, for her faithful reviewing. And to say that I know the chapter length is decreasing, and for that I'm sorry.**

**Chapter Sette**

"Ah, Carlisle, I'm so glad you have come," Aro said.

"Anything to halp out an old friend," Carlisle replied.

Edward, Bella, and Alice just tried not to laugh.

They were all in Aro's study. The room, like the Wives' Commonroom, was in the "Vampire" color scheme. Renata was near Aro, keeping an eye on him in case someone should suddenly attack. Caius was with Athenodora, hunting; Marcus was sitting in a chair behind Aro, reading a book and looking bored.

"So, to get to the point. I wish for you to take Sulpicia and myself hunting, vegetarian hunting. Show us how you survive." Aro was drumming his long white fingers against the side of the black leather chair. He tried not to show his anxiousness. He was failing miserably.

Here he was, sinking to the level of practically begging for help from _vegetarians_! True, Carlisle was his old friend...but still, it was sinking so low! Especially because the Cullens seemed to recently be besting the Volturi at everything...no! Aro of Volterra--_asking for help!_

Edward raised an eyebrow and tried not to laugh or even giggle in an exremely self-satisfied way.

He was enjoying his humiliation, Aro knew. That Edward had always enjoyed seeing Aro struggle. _Well, I wouldn't look so smug, Mr. Edward Cullen,_ he thought, and then proceeded to make a vivid mental picture of Bella, still human, in panic and pain. Edward winced slightly. Aro grinned.

Carlisle noticed this little exchange. "Edward, be nice," he warned.

_Take that, oh-so-smug, know it all--_

"And Aro, no making my son suffer with vivid mental pictures."

_Darn. _Aro shrugged. "Will you do it? Take us vegetarian hunting?"

"Are you actually planning on going vegetarian, Aro?" Bella wanted to know.

"No, not for all eternity. Temporarily, maybe. I--we--just wanted to try it. See what it's like. So we can relate more to our vegetarian population, you know." The words were stuttered ever so slightly. The words were a lie, and pretty much everyone knew it.

"Oh." Bella said. She started to chatter on aimlessly about various parts of animal unting. Aro wasn't really paying attention. He was looking over their faces. _These vampires are civilized, _Aro thought. As if he didn't know that already. _Abstaining from human blood lets them form true bonds of love. Is that why Sulpicia wants this? Does she want our love to be truer than it already is? Does she think human blood makes her a monster?_

Just then little Alice's eyes glazed over for a moment, and then went back to normal. "Sulpicia's coming," she said. A minute later, Sulpicia burst into the room. Just as Alice had predicted. Her eyes were filled with anger, then confusion.

"Sulpicia, sit down," Aro said quietly. "I have a surprise for you."


	8. Chapter Otto: Argument

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Chapter Otto**

Athenodora moved in swiftly for the kill and tried not to pay attention to the screams. She glanced over at Caius, who was clearly enjoying himself. Why hadn't she noticed it before? He enjoyed the kill. It was a simple truth that couldn't be ignored.

She winced as screams filled the air and the taste of blood ran into her mouth. She certainly didn't like to kill.

She stood up straighter and began walking back to Volterra's Tower in the shadows.

Caius caught up to her. "Athena, dear, I'm not Aro. You have to tell me what's on your mind."

"Why?" Athenodora asked, somewhat angrily.

"Because I want to know."

"And?"

"And what?"

Athenodora shrugged and kept walking.

"Athena, that conversation made no sense whatsoever," Caius said exasperatedly.

"Good."

"Please Athena? I want to help, however I can." Caius said.

"Fine. When we get back to the Tower." Athenodora rolled her eyes, which obviously didn't go unnoticed by Caius. He raised an eyebrow of his own.

"Why are you so edgy, babe?" Caius asked with an empty laugh.

"Why I'm edgy? You want to know why I'm edgy?" Athenodora stopped and turned around to look at Caius. "We're having enough drama for a century just with Sulpicia and Aro's conflict. Sulpicia won't even talk to me, when I know what I did was right. I'm having a little bit of a problem convincing myself that you guys think I'm important and not just some empty shiny _thing_, and on top of it all I have to deal with a homocidal vampire freak as a husband! But you know, you're right, I should relax. The Volturi is on the verge of colllapse, or maybe even all-out war, and I've just drank all of the blood out of an innocent human man, but no, I should relax for the moment. Enjoy life. Maybe go order a pizza!" Athenodora turned her back to Caius and continued to stomp back to the Tower.

"Oh," was all Caius could think to say.

"You're darn right, 'oh.'"

They walked in silence for a little while. Caius was having trouble crafting his rebutal. You had to pick your words carefully when arguing with Athenodora. He had more questions than answers.

Caius took a deep, unnesesscary breath. The first thing that popped out of his mouth was, "What makes you think you're not important, Athena?"

"Oh, I have no doubt about whether or not I'm important. I have my doubts about whether or not the Volturi men think of us as people or empty shiny things. Empty shiny things that save the Volturi countless times over!"

"What do you mean, babe?"

Athena rolled her eyes. "Exactly my point. You men are so oblivious to the truth that it's the women who hold the Volturi together!"

Caius raised an eyebrow at his wife.

"Think of how many times you blow up in each other's faces. Who resolves the argument? And let'snot forget the ever so obvious fact that a certain Caius of Volterra wouldn't be alive if a certain female vampire hadn't saved him from a werewolf attack!"

And with that she took off towards the tower at full vampire speed, not really caring anymore.


	9. Chapter Nove: Just Not Strong Enough

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Chapter Nove**

Sulpicia glanced over at her husband on her left, and Carlisle, who was on his left. The Cullens were walking them through the hunt. The vegetarian hunt. Sulpicia was excited, relieved, and confused. Why was Aro doing this for her? It seemed sincere, but...not sincere. Ugh. Thoughts running around in circles. Makes no sense. Okay, just hunt.

Bella Cullen was standing next to Sulpicia in a crouched position. Bella explained this new way of hunting to the older female vampire, who simply nodded as she processed the information.

"So basically, it's just like normal hunting, except you have to force yourself to drink the animal blood and resist the human blood. It's _really_ hard to do that, but that's why we brought you here. The nearest human is at least...never mind."

Sulpicia nodded sharply again.

"Okay. Focus on the scents in the air. What do you smell?"

"B-blood," Sulpicia said reluctantly. "But it's a different kind of blood. It doesn't taste that good."

Bella nodded. "That's how it's supposed to smell. Now follow the scent."

Sulpicia glanced at Aro, and they both dashed into the woods after the scent, the Cullens right behind them. The leaves of the underbrush rustled slightly as they darted through the clearing to the woods beyond.

It was a wolf. A large gray wolf.

"Dig in," Edward murmured, and the Cullens moved away (as they didn't hunt wolves.)

Sulpicia glanced at Aro and lunged slightly towards the wolf, who darted away.

"First lesson," said Carlisle, "don't underestimate the prey. Follow it."

The party moved along towards the prey, this time more silent. Again, the Cullens moved to the perimeter of the area, leaving Sulpica and Aro in the center with their prey. Aro nodded slightly, and moved swiftly and silently to around the back of the wolf. The wolf, obviously more worried about menacing-looking Aro than Sulpicia, turned around, snarling. Sulpicia moved in and jumped onto the beast, tackling it to the ground, sinking her teeth into its neck. She immediately recoiled at the taste.

Alice laughed, like the tiny tinkering of bells. "We don't enjoy the taste of animal blood, we just drink it."

Aro grimaced and thought, _How much I am willing to sacrifice for my love!_ He contemplated the thought of this wolf's blood. It certainly didn't smell appealing. He watched on as his wife sank her teeth again into the dying beast and began to suck.

Sulpicia all but forced the strange blood down her throat. The taste was strange, but Sulpicia didn't care. She just felt better inside. She could visualize herself becoming like the Cullens, a vegetarian, good and almost--almost--human.

Out of the corner of his eye Aro saw both Edward and Alice smiling widely. "I'm glad you've decided on that, Sulpicia," Edward murmured. Aro raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

They all watched in silence as Sulpicia drank the rest of the wolf blood. When she had finished, she closed her eyes and sighed. "I like this, sort of. Aro, are you going to catch a wolf now?"

Aro didn't respond. He was perfectly still, staring past Sulpicia.

"Aro?"

"I...don't know. "

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

Aro sighed, and it was a exasperated--no, a sad sigh.

"Oh," Edward said in a slightly tiny voice.

"Sulpicia," Carlisle started, "Vegetarianism isn't cut out for everyone. Especially with thousands of years of only human hunting. You are convinced that you want to do this, your convictions drive you. But Aro..."

"Carlisle," Edward mrumured, slightly shaking his head in a ' don't say it ' gesture.

Sulpicia caught on, however. 'Were you about to say that Aro...that he doesn't love me enough to do this for me? Just this once?"

Aro tried to walk over the Sulpicia. "Saph--Sulpicia, I love you more than anything."

"More than the Guard? More than power?"

Aro hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Sulpicia--I just don't think I'm strong enough to do this."

Edward looked at Bella. Had Aro just admittted that he wasn't strong enough to do this? Had he just admitted that his relationships had problems?

A slight rustle of someone speeding by at an inhuman speed alerted them all to a small whiteish figure darting across the forest.

"Athenodora?" Sulpicia whispered.

-----------------------------------------------

**Author's Note: I know hunts aren't supposed to be this controlled. But hey, this is how I pictured it. Thanks for all of the lovely reviews, and I don't own Twilight.**


	10. Chapter Dieci: Volturi are Crumbling

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Author's Note: I'd just like to inform you all that I have an idea of where I'm going! (hears cheers) Thank you, reviewers!**

**Chapter Dieci**

Athenodora where she was running, she just was. She needed to get away from this whole huge mess. _What have I gotten myself into? _she wondered. There would have been very little time to think for a human, but Athenodora's mind, being a vampire mind, was in hyperdrive. She was pondering how exactly running away could possibly help. It couldn't help, she knew, but that didn't stop her. She pushed herself forward, silver hair flying along with her, across a meadow, into a forest...the smell of humans was only faint, it was a rural woodland...A new scent filled her nose--blood, but less apealling...animal blood. Her eyes flickered over to the scent, it must be shed blood, animal scent wasn't usually this strong. _Or vegetarians could be hunting in the area, _she thought. But that wasn't likely...

"Athenodora?"

Ahena whirled around to see Sulpicia and Aro standing above a dead wolf, with--she gasped--the Cullens gathered around. Her first thought was that they were holding a funeral for some werewolf Aro had accidentally killed. That certainly would explain Aro's guilty look. But then she saw blood around Sulpicia's lips, and noted the fact that her filmy eyes had turned ever-so-slightly to amber.

"Why are you here, Athena?" Sulpicia asked.

"Umm..." Athena considered her possbilities for a half-second. "I was just--"

Edward cut her off with a cough. You couldn't possibly lie in their prescence.

Athena glared at him, but said, "I was running away."

Sulpicia could not comprehend this. "You're...you're what?"

"You were planning to abandon the Volturi?" Aro asked briskly.

"Not abandon, just..." Athena's normally stong voice was now quiet. "Just leave, for a little while..."

"Why?" Sulpicia's amber eyes widened.

"I...I don't know, okay?" Athenodora snapped. "I just couldn't take it anymore! It's hard being the wife of the homocidal freak King of the Mythical Universe! I'm sure you feel that way too!"

"Athenodora," Carlisle said calmly, "perhaps you should just talk this through with Caius."

"I did," the female told him, "and I blew up in his face."

"That's a nice way of putting it," Edward murmured. Athenodora glared at him. "Thank you, Captain I'm-going-to-state-aloud-what's-on-everyone's-mind." Edward shrugged.

"Athena," Bella started. "Carlisle has a point. If you had an argument with Caius, you shouldn't have to run away. Just talk to Caius, he'll understand--"

"Well, I'm not married to Mr. Perfect like you are."

"Athenodora," Sulpicia said, "do you realize that you aren't taking your own advice?"

Athena started to say something, then stopped. She looked around at all of the vampires in the forest area. "This isn't just about Caius, you know. It's about all of us. The Volturi are crumbling." With that, she ran off.

There was silence for a minute.

"What did she mean, 'the Volturi are crumbling'?" Aro asked.

Edward and Alice exchanged a glance.

"What?"

"Um..." Alice started.

"Yeah...about that..." Edward murmured.

"Is there something you're hiding from me, Cullens?" Aro demanded.

"Alice just saw..."

"...you..."

"...the Volturi..."

"...crumbling..."

"...Athenodora..."

"...knows something about it..."

"...knows that..."

"...the only thing keeping you together..."

"...keeping you strong and aligned, and calm, is..."

"...them. The wives."

"It turns out Athenodora does have a gift, so subtle that no one would really detect it," Edward said. "Have you ever noticed before, that Athenodora says something, and later it pops up as something really important?"

"I'd always assumed that her ability carried on from humanity is her skills of knowledge, of thinking about things," Aro said.

"It is," Edward said, "but that's just it. Athenodora has a little gift, tucked away in her thoughts, that even she doesn't know consciously about, so Eleazar could never detect it. She says things...that predict the future."

"And?..." Sulpicia asked, even though she knew what it entailed.

"And... The Volturi are crumbling."


	11. Chapter Undici: Marcus's View

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Chapter Undici**

Marcus walked into Aro's study, impatient--in a very bored way, of course. "Where have you two been?" and "Oh." The relationships had changed.

Aro and Sulpicia were slightly tighter, but still not as they were before. Mostly, their views of Athenodora had completely changed. Aro was intrigued but worried, Sulpicia was slightly afraid, and Caius was just plain confused. It made Marcus wonder what had happened. The Cullens were also scattered about the study, and Marcus didn't know what to think about their relationship to the Volturi now. Somewhere split between hating and wanting to protect...what?

And where was Athenodora, anyways? She was almost always with Sulpicia. But not today.

It was Edward who broke the silence then. "She ran away," he explained. "And she gave us quite a scare with something she said. The Volturi are still in shock."

"Edward!" pretty much all of the present people reprimanded him. Except for Caius. Caius just scowled and tried not to rip the mind-reader into shreds.

More awkward silence.

Aro cleared his throat. "Turns out Athenodora has a very subtle but powerful ability that even she didn't know about before. She can predict the future. Not consciously, but things about the future slip into something she's saying and therefore give a warning."

"Didn't see that one coming. So?" Marcus said, trying to sink back into apathetic mode after the emotions brought out in the last few days. All this turbulance over mates...and Marcus's was dead. Emotion was painful for the vampire.

"So...she warned us that the Volturi are crumbling, that's what." Aro said quietly. Everyone could tell that it was one of the few times in his life that he was actually worried.

"Oh..." Marcus said, bored... "...wait, _what_?" He sat up in alarm.

"Marcus, can't you see it? The Volturi are weakening..." Alice murmured.

Now that he thought about it...

"And someone could easily attack and defeat us at our current state," Marcus finished. "With Aro and his sane half growing apart, and Caius pracitcally falling to pieces over Athenodora leaving..." Marcus glanced over at Caius, who was growling. "Or at least more irritable. I can almost see the plans forming in those crafty Romanian's minds..."

"It's not the Romanians." Alice said. "It's a new group, a new army of vampires. I can see them."

"What?" Aro asked.

"Yes, I just saw a vision of them, but I can't see who their leader is. I don't know why..."

Renata, almost invisible right behind Aro, squirmed a bit closer to the group.

There was more silence. That statement was not exactly easy to follow up. But Caius did it.

"We need to find Athenodora first. And then we can prepare a defense strategy."


	12. Chapter Dodici: Sybilla

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Author's Note: Here we introduce the bad guys! Hooray! (Well...the very obvious antagonists, anyways.)**

**Sorry this took WAY longer than it was supposed to. I had writer's block, and when I got over it, I was preoccupied with my novel.**

**Chapter Dodici**

He walked across the courtyard, metal boots making an onminous click as they set down across the stone paving. He spotted the little dark-haired vampire sitting off to the side, head bent in concentration. He sped over to her. "Sybilla?"

"I can't stand holding up all of these subtle convictions," she murmured, at a low vampire whisper. "Sulpicia's that Aro loves power more than her, Athenodora's that she can't stand being here anymore, Demetri's that he can't find you, Chelsea's that there's no bond between us for her to break, the Cullen mindreader's that there is nothing suspicious going on in my head, the Cullen futureseer that she can't see us, or who our leader is at least...Euurgh!" She clutched at her head. "I know we're pulling on the right strings, because the Volturi is unraveling. But still..."

"Shhh," he said. "Someone might hear us." His burgundy eyes flashed up to the lighted window of Aro's study, and then back down to Sybilla in agony.

"Can't hold much longer...can I let go of any of them?" she pleaded.

"No," he said distantly. "We need all of this if we are going to get revenge. Think of it this way: at least you don't have to make Jane think that she hates Edward and Bella Cullen for that part of the plan to work."

"That part of the plan," Sybilla informed him, "has not been happened yet. Jane has not come face to face with them yet."

"We need all parts of the plan," he told her icily. "Make Jane come to Aro's study for something--"

"I don't control actions, just convictions!"

"Yes, but if you--"

"Leonidas!" she screamed. "I'm under enough pressure as it is. I don't need another little matter on my hands."

"Now someone's sure to have heard _that_ scream. Sybilla-" He put his cold hand on her face. "I love you, dear. I have to get you out of here, I can't let them use you like they do the others. And we have to overthrow them. Think of how many they've killed, just to get what they want."

The little dark-haired vampire sighed and looked up at her mate. Even though she knew that his trait from his human life was his leadership ability, she sometimes wondered if he could have also brought persuasion.

---------------------------------------

Edward Cullen paced the hallways of the tower. "What's wrong?" Bella asked him.

"I can't read...her." He pointed out the window at Sybilla, now alone in the darkness. "She's a new Volturi member, her name is Sybilla. But I can't read her!" He sighed. "And it's different than you. I can hear some of her thoughts but not others, it seems like the rest are clouded. Do you think something's wrong with me?"

"Of course something's wrong with you, _Edward Cullen_," a voice sneered. "Why are you here?" Jane stood there, with Alec glaring daggers at Bella.

Sybilla had set that phase into motion, and then collapsed, letting go of the Sulpicia-Aro conviction for now.

The winds of change were getting really confused now.


	13. Chapter Tredici: The Venetian Boat Song

_**Volterra's Tower**_

**Author's Note: The song mentioned in this chapter is really pretty, and it automatically made me think of this fanfiction. I reccomend you listen to it and hear for yourself.**

**Chapter Tredici**

Sulpicia sighed dramatically. With the sigh, she remembered that about a month ago she hadn't been prone to such sighs, it was mostly Athenodora who sighed with discontentment. _What went wrong?_ she wondered. _Nothing is normal anymore. _

The little gathering had broken up about an hour ago. Aro had disappeared into stacks of bookshelves to brood over the problem, Caius and Marcus had gone off to their studies, the Cullens had all gone their seperate ways. Sulpicia was sitting alone in the Tower's commonroom.

Her eyes caught on the small piano in the corner, near the door. It had gone neglected for a while, as dust had gathered around the keys. She walked over to it and gently blew the dust off. Music had always been one of Sulpicia's joys, even though the only instrument she had learned to play was the piano, and she had hardly mastered it. _Maybe it will clear my mind for a bit, _she thought, and sat down at the bench.

Her fingers gently stroked against the ivory keys, and she started to play the first song that came to her mind. Mendelssohn's Venetian Boat Song No. 2. Aro had always considered it their Love Theme. She smiled slightly as the music floated gracefully along. The song begged for words, but words were not put to it. It was in a minor key, but was not a sad song.

Not a sad song at all.

Aro heard music floating up into his keen vampire ears. Piano music. At first he thought it was Edward Cullen, but then he heard what the song was. Mendelssohn, the Boat Song, the Song Without Words. He smiled, remembering that Sulpicia played this song more beautifully than anyone else, and stopped his brooding to listen.

Carlisle heard the piano as well, but didn't mistake it for Edward, as his son tended to play his compositions rather than classical composers. Sulpicia was playing again. That lovely song by Mendelssohn, the Venetain Boat Song. Aro and Sulpicia's love theme.

Maybe things were starting to mend.

Alice heard the music coming from the Tower where Sulpicia spent her days and smiled. She could see how this was going to turn out. _One problem out of the way, _she thought, and went back to work.

The words of Athenodora drifted back into her ears as she came out of the high C# trill.

_"Listen to me, Sulpicia. He will understand. I know Aro, almost as well as you do. He loves power, true, but he needs someone there to catch him when he falls. You're that someone, and he trusts you because of it. He loves you."_

It now made sense how everything Athena said turned out to be important later on. And that advice had been ignored for long enough.

_...he needs someone there to catch him when he falls. You're that someone, and he trusts you because of it..._


End file.
